Seattle airline tragedy raises new questions about airport security

Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, federal officials have devoted an enormous amount of effort and resources to making airline travel safe. In general, they seem to have done a good job.

But recently, a mentally disturbed ground crew member stole a 76-seat plane from the airport in Seattle. He flew around for 75 minutes, tailed for much of the time by fighter planes, before crashing and dying.

It was a “one in a million experience,” one official commented.

Really? Had the man been a terrorist, the death toll might have been high.

Clearly, airport security measures need to be re-examined. That needs to be a priority for the FAA and Homeland Security.